Master of Arts in Philosophy

Program Description

The mission of the Master of Arts in Philosophy (MAPhil) is to develop students who are capable of serving their community and the Church successfully in a variety of vocations, including academic, parachurch, and ecclesiastical professions. The MAPhil degree is intended to offer students training in the critical and philosophical skills that are useful for their further academic study and also for their growth as followers of God. MAPhil graduates may continue their education at the doctoral level.

In addition, the MAPhil program contains a Certificate of Apologetics. The coursework for the certificate is 18 hours and overlaps with the MAPhil curriculum while also containing electives for those wishing to focus on apologetics. A student can complete the certificate while in the MAPhil program or just pursue the certificate.
Finally, there is an option to complete a research track as part of the program. This track is ideal for students who desire to write a thesis and use that as the basis for further graduate work in philosophy.

Advantages and Opportunities

The faculty of in the MAPhil program are excellent teachers and nationally known scholars. Faculty have achieved terminal degrees from the University of Notre Dame, St. Louis University, University of California-Riverside, Baylor University and Northwestern University. A particular strength of the program is in apologetics, intelligent design, and philosophy of religion. In the MAPhil program you will be in small classes with some of the leading public intellectuals in Christian philosophy and apologetics.

The Philosophy Department at HBU also hosts a national philosophy conference every year. The past two years the themes have been Virtue Ethics and Epistemology, and Divine and Human Agency and Action.

After Graduation

Graduates of the MPhil program will be well positioned for a variety of opportunities. The MAPhil can provide the educational framework needed for parachurch ministry or teaching opportunities. In addition graduates may choose to pursue further graduation education in philosophy at the PhD level or use their philosophy background to pursue and education in theology or law.